To learn the important basics of blood sugar balance there isn’t actually a huge amount to say, however understanding the relevance of blood sugar on your mental, physical and emotional health is critical. I’m very passionate about educating people on this topic because so many people don’t know much about, or give importance to, blood sugar, yet it is actually often a major factor in relation to a person’s overall wellness, weight, mindset, and mood.
Furthermore, science is now showing us that chronic blood sugar issues are the major cause of metabolic dysfunction, which is now at epidemic levels in the US and in my experience, I’d also say in the UK. Metabolic dysfunction is taking lives: it contributes to 9 out of the 10 leading causes of death in the US and is a central player in declining male and female fertility. It is the root cause of most symptoms, disease and mortality in the West.
Firstly let’s look at what causes low or high blood sugar:
Low blood sugar can happen from skipping meals, eating ‘less than normal’ (and fyi ‘less than normal’ may be your normal), exercising ‘more than normal’ (again, ‘more than normal’ may be your normal), and taking too much medication.
High blood sugar is caused by excess sugar and carbohydrates in the diet (carbs are glucose a.k.a sugar to the body) and excessively large meals on a regular basis.
Stress can also lead to blood sugar disruption as can lack of activity and poor sleep.
What happens when you have low or high blood sugar?
Low blood sugar can lead to hypoglycemia, which may come on very quickly. Symptoms include feeling lightheaded and faint, possibly even fainting, cold hands and feet, sensitivity to the cold, irritability, anxiety, low mood, lack of appetite and/or carb, sugar, and caffeine cravings.
High blood sugar is an increase in insulin called hyperglycemia, which causes your cortisol to increase…cortisol then causes your blood sugar to increase further. This can create a cycle of metabolic ‘dis-ease’ or dysfunction that can lead to diabetes and weight gain.
When your blood sugar levels are out of balance, the body responds to this as a major stress, because it is a serious threat to the body, and so your body makes rebalancing the blood sugar its main priority.
Here’s why this last part is very important and this is the main thing that I want you to take away from this information: When your body is prioritising blood sugar balance and doing whatever it can to rebalance the blood sugar, your appetite can be suppressed and/or heightened. This clearly doesn’t help matters because you will most likely not eat enough or eat too much – at some point, you will unconsciously crave high-carb foods, sugar and/or caffeine in an effort to rebalance your blood sugar levels.
This is when many people think that they have sugar-craving issues or a lack of self-control. But it’s actually not that at all – your body is doing exactly the right thing by trying to regulate your blood sugar levels in this way as it senses an emergency.
This is why I’m always pushing the fact that I believe it is really important to eat 3 meals a day in order to keep your blood sugar in balance. For some people, this is not an issue, which is where intermittent fasting comes in – it works for some, but I do not recommend it if your body is in a constant state of blood sugar imbalance and also women need to be far more cautious about fasting than men.
Fasting can create the very problem we are talking about here. It can sometimes remedy blood sugar issues but you need to base your fasting on very clear data related to what your blood sugar is doing – a CGM (continual glucose monitor) is by far the best way to do this. I actually believe everyone should routinely use a CGM to see exactly what impacts their blood sugar levels for better and for worse.
This is one of the key areas where people who are trying to lose weight or maintain a low weight go wrong: the way they are eating, the quantity of food they are eating, and food frequency are not adequate for their body’s needs.
Certain ‘rules’ that have been instilled in our minds by the diet industry and even the medical world typically make this situation all the worse – like eating low fat, watching calories, eating smaller portions etc. Many people spend years and years eating in this way and living with metabolic dysfunction without even knowing anything about blood sugar imbalance.
So how do we resolve this?
Firstly, I would recommend making sure you eat 3 decent meals a day, especially starting the day with a good filling breakfast. Don’t skip meals. I would also recommend eating breakfast within 45mins of waking at the latest and not drinking coffee on an empty stomach.
In contrast, grazing all day can also lead to blood sugar issues. It’s ideal to leave a decent gap between meals. If you are including good amounts of protein, fat and fiber in your meals, you will be less likely to need to or feel like snacking anyway.
Make sure you are including plenty of good quality proteins, fats and getting a decent amount of fiber in all of your meals and snacks as they lead to the slow release of energy in addition to carbohydrates. What you should avoid is eating carbohydrates on their own – always pair carbs with protein and/or fat.
As I mentioned above, stress and a sedentary lifestyle can also lead to blood sugar issues, along with sleep deprivation. So, it is important that you learn how to reduce and manage stress levels, get regular daily movement, and make it a priority to resolve any longstanding sleep issues.
There are more specific ways to regulate blood sugar involving food frequency and monitoring your body temperature but if you resonate with any of the above symptoms my advice would be to eat 3 filling meals a day even if you don’t feel hungry – especially a protein-rich breakfast. Try this consistently for a couple of weeks and see if you notice any difference, you definitely will if you have blood sugar issues. You will feel less anxiety, calmer, and more level and you will also likely notice improvements in your mood, sleep, energy, and ability to focus. The positive results can be experienced within just a day of eating better and properly.
If you’re someone resonates with food and blood sugar balance and would like to work on improving your eating habits for your mental and physical health, please reach out and get in touch for a private 121 session. You can also apply for a complimentary consultation if you’re not sure and would like to see if working together if the right thing for you.
Kate x
